Notes: This song is relatively straightforward and, with lots of repetitions, there is not all that much to translate. The main problem (which is of course a constantly reoccurring problem in translating Tibetan) I experienced was in regards how to translate things like དུང་གི་ཟླ་བ and དོན་འགྲུབ་. These expressions are high-frequency in Tibetan but often sound awkward when left translated by just a few words in English. My understanding is that དུང་གི་ཟླ་བ simply means a moon which is as white as a conch shell (i.e., extremely white). However the general lack of conchs in most English speaker's daily lives makes for a strange expression. In The Task of the Translator, Walter Benjamin asks us whether we should be making the source-language more like the target-language or the target-language more like the source. That is, should we anglicize the Tibetan with our own idioms or "Tibetanize" our English translation with terms such as 'conch-white moon'? Although Benjamin argues for the latter, we can see that there are indeed merits to both sides. Looking back towards history we can see that both approaches have been implemented in translating Buddhist literature. While it is quite a gross generalization of long and involved processes of translation, it seems that for the most part the Chinese Buddhist transmission involved translation which sought to "naturalize" the texts into Chinese whereas, in Tibet, the great Lotsawas tried to follow the source-language (usually Sanskrit) very closely. Translation is certainly a process and great works of literature often go through new translation (although its hard to ever imagine 'updating' something as enormous as the Tibetan canon). Hopefully time and experience will guide us in knowing which camp to side with when circumstances call for it.

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Call of the White Crane

From the singing nomads of the grasslands of Amdo and Kham, to the nightclubs of Lhasa--and even including Tibetans in exile across the globe--we bring you some of the most incredible and inspiring Tibetan music videos for your listening and viewing pleasure. With our original translations of such wonderful and soulful music, it is our hope that people from all over can appreciate and connect with the voices of Tibet--crying out for their own people, their own land, and their own traditions. The 'Call of the White Crane' resonates through the voices of Tibet's pawo and pamo (heroes and heroines) who tirelessly work to lift the spirits of their people and ensure the longevity of their precious culture.